developing grammar & vocabulary for online exam courses

developing grammar & vocabulary for online exam courses : First,

Advanced, Proficiency

Wednesday 13 May 2020John Potts

webinar house-keeping• note that this webinar will be recorded

• please keep your microphone muted

• please don’t enable your camera

• please don’t click on other tabs/buttons (eg Share)

• you can use the conversation tool to ask questions etc > chat box

• pdf of slides & the recording available afterwards

B2 First exam tips: soon available from Swiss Exams web shop

lots of practical tips for learners

today’s focus

• synchronous & asynchronous language activities

• grammar & vocabulary development

• grammar & vocabulary for the use of English questions

• some suggested apps & tools, including Quizlet (pay-for teacher version), PowerPoint/Keynote, Google Forms, Edmodo, Padlet, screencastingtools, Testbank etc

Cambridge Testbank & free sample tests• Testbank (pay-for) is available for all the main suite exams except

Proficiency (and not for the three Business exams either)

• 4 tests, each of which can be done 3 times in practice mode, and once in test mode

• provides good practice, especially for the computer-based test format

• free sample tests available from the Teacher Resources web page: www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/resources-for-teachers/

new from Cambridge Assessment English• some new activities:

www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/activities-for-learners

• B2/C1 reading lesson plan: https://tinyurl.com/y7g3uw9v

• B2/C1 speaking lesson plan: https://tinyurl.com/y9v7ca5m

• tools to support online teaching: https://tinyurl.com/y9d5e788

• plus more B2 First for Schools self-study activities

synchronous lessons: three-step workflow1 before the live lesson:

what do I need to prepare & send ahead of the lesson?what do students need to do ahead of the lesson?

2 during the live lesson:staging the tasks & activitiesimplementing materialsvarious interaction patterns (eg whole class, individuals, pairs)your teacher role(s) (eg correction)what follow-up work will you & students do live (in the lesson)?

3 after the live lesson: what will learners do after the lesson? (recording, homework, study etc)what will you do after the lesson? (give feedback, correction etc)

synchronous: good practice• use learners’ names, and nominate for contributions

• make full use of the chat box – elicit responses, ask questions, get answers, praise, correct etc

• create a WhatsApp group per class, & have your phone to hand (allows communication outside the live tool if need be)

• keep class muted most of the time

• activities/stages generally take longer than in face-to-face lessons

synchronous/live lessons: be well organised• clear plan of the lesson stages, with all interaction patterns decided in advance – it’s

not a good idea to decide these on the spot

• very clear instructions for each stage/activity/task (it’s helpful to script these)

• materials sent in advance as necessary

• all materials that you’ll use during the live lesson are collected in one folder on your desktop, clearly named – and have the folder open so that you can see the contents

• you can also make just one Word document containing all the materials & tasks in sequence (eg embed audio as mp3 file, or video as mp4, so you can just click on the play icon) – during your lesson, you scroll down through the document

asynchronous-synchronous-asynchronous• as we saw, synchronous lessons (while) often have an asynchronous

element before and after

• we need two different types of tool:

• a synchronous tool (eg Zoom, Teams, Skype) for the live lesson

• an asynchronous tool (eg Edmodo, Google Classrooms, Padlet) to host/deliver the materials, resources, tasks etc before and afterwards

use the chat box• in live lessons, use the chat box to:

• ask questions & elicit from learners• give examples• set specific tasks (eg sentence transformation)• get & check answers• clarify & explain• do focused correction work• provide links etc

some chat box activities 1

• put a sentence in the chat box and ask whether it’s acceptable or not• Despite she was tired, she continued working.• learners type yes/no (or use a poll)• if no, ask for the correct version (nominate a student or open house)

• put a sentence in the chat box with a gap (only one word is missing)• We had to call ....... the trip because of the crisis.• learners type the missing word (nominate or open house)• ask them to type another sentence using the same language pattern• and/or nominate learners to say a similar sentence

some chat box activities 2

• put a sentence in the chat box with a longer gap (several words missing)• If you ................ you were coming, I would’ve met you at the station.• learners type the missing words (nominate or open house)• ask them to type another sentence using the same language pattern• and/or nominate learners to say a similar sentence

• put half of a sentence in the chat box• I wouldn’t have bought that phone• students type the other half (or nominate one to say it)• depending on what they write/say, do follow-up, correction etc

some chat box activities 3

• put a sentence in the chat box plus a key word• We had to cancel the trip because of the crisis. called • learners type/say a new sentence that means the same using the key

word• follow up as necessary (correction etc)

• put a sentence in the chat box plus the first word(s) of a new sentence• Although she was tired, she continued working. Despite...• learners type/say a new sentence that means the same using the stem• follow up as necessary (correction etc)

some chat box activities 4

• put a sentence from Part 4 of the Reading & Use of English paper into the chat box• learners type their answer into the chat box• follow up as necessary (correction etc)

• put the answer to a sentence from Part 4 of Reading & Use of English paper into the chat box, plus a key word from the original sentence• learners type their answer into the chat box• follow up as necessary (correction etc)

use polls in Teams, Zoom etc

• Microsoft Teams and Zoom have polling tools built in – but not in the free versions (to the best of my knowledge)

• you can use polls to ask questions, collect opinions etc

• eg Is this sentence correct? Answer using the poll buttons.• Despite of being tired, she continued working.

third-party polls

• there are many online poll tools (free and pay-for)

• you can use Google Forms (free) to create polls

• Edmodo (free) also has a built-in polling tool

• you can put a link to the online poll in the chat box

using a Word document for language work

• you can use one Word document as the basis for your live lesson

• it contains all the lesson’s activities and resources (eg links, audio) in sequence

• you share the document in Teams, Zoom etc

• you can type directly into the document as you wish, plus exploit some features of Word (eg text colour)

using a Word document 2• the document can also be hosted (eg Edmodo, Google Classroom etc)

• you can convert to a pdf for reference if you wish

• it avoids your having to open several different files during the lesson

• it helps when planning, and gives coherence to your lesson

• eg I hosted this doc on my OneDrive: https://tinyurl.com/y9ex9t9q

using a Word document 3

• make templates from layouts that you create, for example:

• vocabulary tables or grids

• matching tasks

• sorting tasks (eg putting words into columns/boxes)

• board games such as noughts & crosses (tic-tac-toe)

using PowerPoint/Keynote for grammar• make a slide presentation of a particular grammar point

• exploit features such as colours, making bullets appear separately etc

• run this live in an online lesson, and talk learners through it

• and also make it available on your platform (Edmodo, Padlet etc) – plus you could also combine it with a screencast

• convert to a pdf for a quicker overview

infinitive & gerund patternsC1 Advanced

John Potts

preposition + gerund• Ann's good at drawing.

• She's interested in visiting art galleries.

• She's looking forward to going to Paris.

• She's worried about losing her job.

• She's afraid of being in confined spaces.

retrospective gerunds

• I can remember learning to swim.

• But I've forgotten learning to walk.

• I stopped eating meat when I was 18.

• I regret not spending more time with my grandmother.

prospective infinitives• I remembered to buy some postcards.

• But I forgot to send them.

• After hiking for 3 hours, I stopped to eat lunch.

• I regret to tell you that your grandmother is very ill.

make your own tests

• you can make your own tests (“quizzes”) in Edmodo and Google Forms – automatic correction included

• Google Forms: see this tutorial I made https://tinyurl.com/y7xthffd

• 6 Edmodo formats, including: T/F, multiple choice, fill the gap, matching, multiple answer

• 8 Google Forms formats, including: multiple choice, check boxes, drop-down list, linear scale, multiple choice grid, check box grid

• provide link so learners do test asynchronously

try the white board tool

• the white board can supplement a live lesson via a shared screen

• it can be useful for quick and short interactions• it allows the learners to contribute, comment etc• various screen tools available depending on the platform

(eg Zoom)

• some features may be a bit cumbersome to use – eg in Zoom, annotations made to a shared document stay “fixed” to the board and don’t scroll with the document

use screencasts• screencasts allow you to talk though a

grammar point or vocab topic

• host them for access (Google Drive/Classroom, Edmodo etc)

• or provide a link (Screencastify, TechSmith Capture, Loom etc)

• use them in the asynchronous stage

Quizlet for vocabulary development

• Quizlet can do much more than make simple vocabulary flash cards - you can use it for:• word formation & word families• lexical sets / word fields• affixes• collocation• appropriacy/register• idioms & figurative uses• phrasal verb / lexical verb pairs (eg look into/investigate)• access Quizlet in a live lesson as well as asynchronously outside class

sample Quizlet cards for vocabulary

Quizlet for grammar development

• Quizlet can also be used to develop grammar points:

• grammar transformations (eg wish / if; active/passive)• correct or not?• sentence completion using key word • sentence completion using sentence stem• clause patterns (eg concession, conditionals)• combining sentences using relative clauses• advanced syntax (eg inversion, emphatic do/did, non-finites etc)

sample Quizlet cards for grammar

Padlet for vocabulary & grammar points

• you can use Padlet boards to develop lexical sets etc

• and also to develop a grammar point

• you can do this live, with your learners contributing as you share the padlet – provides opportunity for practice and correction

• or asynchronously via a web link

mind maps for vocabulary, grammar & functions• mind maps are a good way of introducing, consolidating & extending

language

• vocabulary mind maps for word families as well as word fields

• grammar mind maps for a grammar topic (eg conditionals)

• function mind maps for a function & some of its exponents

• you can also use mind maps for speaking & writing activities

mind maps – free and pay-for

inversion

I didn't realise my mistake until I got home.

Not until I got home did I realise my mistake.

She can speak four languages and also read Latin.

Not only can she speak four languages, she can

also read Latin.

You won't find a better beach than this anywhere.

Nowhere will you find a better beach than this. I didn't say that at any point.

At no point did I say that.

I seldom eat meat these days.

Seldom do I eat meat these days.

I have rarely seen such a bad film.

Rarely have I seen such a bad film.

I never said that I would do it.

Never did I say that I would do it.

I realised my mistake only when I got home.

Only when I got home did I realise my mistake.

worksheet generators• there are many free and pay-for worksheet generators

• personally, I use Quick Worksheets ($ 40 pa): 25 templates, previous worksheets are saved & can be re-edited, content can be reused...

• good for vocabulary – especially consolidation, re-cycling etc

• also for grammar (scrambled sentences, gap fill etc)

• https://quickworksheets.net

Oxford Teachers’ Club: cloze maker & crossword maker• OUP’s Oxford Teachers’ Club offers two free tools (you need to join)

• cloze maker creates cloze texts using text that you paste in – you can focus your cloze on grammar or vocabulary items

• crossword maker creates crosswords using data you supply

• https://elt.oup.com/teachersclub/

choose the “I want to use my own...” option

Questions

• please use the message tool to send in your questions

• I’ll try to answer as many as possible

• Swiss Exams will compile some FAQs based on the webinars

Thank you, good luck, and stay healthy

• pdf of the slide show will be available for download from Swiss Exams

• recording of the webinar will also be available

•www.cambridge-exams.ch